Art Reviews: A Deep Dive

EXPLORING SPIRITUAL DUALITY THROUGH SYMBOLIC NARRATIVES: MEET ANGELKA BASHESKA
Angelka Basheska | Contemporary Spiritual & Symbolic Artist | Macedonia / Dubai

Angelka Basheska is a Macedonian contemporary artist whose practice is deeply rooted in spiritual inquiry, symbolism, and the eternal dialogue between good and evil. Born into a literary and cosmopolitan family, her creative sensibility was shaped early through exposure to poetry, theater, and intellectual discourse. Trained in costumes and textiles, with a strong foundation in painting, sculpture, and historical costume studies, Angelka’s work unfolds as layered visual narratives that transcend time, bridging past, present, and future. Her art serves as a conscious, meditative expression of faith, love, and moral struggle, inviting viewers into a space of introspection where symbolism, color, and form become vessels of spiritual truth.

THE PERSIAN ARTIST BLENDING TRIBAL SYMBOLISM AND SPIRITUALITY: MEET MOZHGAN AFRISHAM
Mozhgan Afrisham | Contemporary Mixed Media Artist & Illustrator | Iran

Mozhgan Afrisham is a Persian contemporary artist based in the UAE whose work bridges cultural memory, spirituality, and emotional expression. With a background in Art & Architecture and a creative journey shaped by living across multiple countries, her practice reflects a rich multicultural dialogue. Working primarily in vibrant mixed media, Mozhgan draws inspiration from tribal traditions, nature, Persian symbolism, and the spiritual universe. Her artworks, often centered on powerful women’s portraits, go beyond visual beauty to explore inner emotions, identity, and healing. Through both her studio practice and mindfulness-based art workshops, she positions art as a transformative and therapeutic experience, rooted in heritage yet resonating with a global contemporary voice.

BOLD EMOTIONS, CUBIST SOUL, FILIPINA VOICE
Jamie Samson | Cubist Pop Artist |Philippines

Jamie Samson is a contemporary Filipina artist working between Cubist Pop Art and abstraction. Her bold, expressive works explore themes of identity, mental health, and modern Filipina womanhood through vibrant color, geometric forms, and layered textures. Influenced by Japanese anime in her early years, as well as by Picasso and Warhol, her practice blends cultural symbols with raw emotional depth. An undergraduate of the UP College of Fine Arts, Jamie returned to her practice in 2023. She has exhibited widely across Metro Manila and participated in her first international solo show at the Tokyo International Art Fair.

THROUGH THE LENS OF KILIMANJARO - AN EMIRATI ARTIST'S DIALOGUE WITH NATURE
Omar Al Gurg | Photographer | Artist | Designer | UAE

Omar Al Gurg (b. 1995, UAE) is a Dubai-born artist whose photographic practice is shaped by a lifelong engagement with the medium. Raised in a family of photographers, Al Gurg began developing film and capturing images from an early age, cultivating a self-taught approach that privileges observation and attentiveness. His early subjects – nature and strangers encountered in daily life – reflect a quiet curiosity and sensitivity to the world around him. For Al Gurg, photography is a meditative practice, distinct from his background in design, yet both disciplines inform his creative outlook. His images are marked by a deliberate focus on detail and atmosphere, often pausing to document fleeting moments of light, resilience, and transformation within the landscape.

THE IRANIAN ARTIST WHOSE TEXTILE ART WENT GLOBAL: MEET TAHER ASAD BAKHTIARI
Taher Asad-Bakhtiari | Contemporary Textile Artist | Iran

Coming from the Bakhtiari tribe, the identity has been a strong part of Taher's everyday life since early childhood. And unlike the more familiar story of artists rebelling against their families to pursue art, Taher was gently introduced to it at the age of 12 and has never really strayed from that path since. Over time, these two core elements in his life merged, and the result speaks for itself: multiple exhibitions across the globe, and a name that resonates not only in the Middle Eastern art world, but also in the United States, with collectors worldwide seeking his pieces.

CRAFTING TIMELESS ART WITH SPIRIT AND LEGACY
Tatiana Lamiri | Contemporary Artist | Morocco / Russia

Tatiana Lamiri Alaoui is a Russian-born, Morocco- and Dubai-based contemporary artist whose work bridges heritage, spirituality, and innovation. Inspired by nature, mythology, and human emotions, she creates timeless pieces using her unique technique that combines acrylic, gold plating, gypsum, and epoxy. Her art reflects positivity, hidden meaning, and enduring craftsmanship designed to last across generations.

REVEALING ABOUT THE SCULPTOR
Pietro Campagnoli - Artist | Sculptor | Turin, Italy

With my sculptures I create “casts” with blankets wet with gypsum, placing them on living bodies and waiting for them to solidify. In these casts I try to reproduce the shape of the human being, like a photograph of the bodies.

WHISPERS OF SILENCE: BREATH OF NATURE & SOUL
Nataliia Venerova | Multidisciplinary Artist | Russia / UAE

Born in Russia and now based in Dubai, Natalia Venerova is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice bridges nature, memory, and the human soul. Her paintings are meditations in color and light, inviting viewers to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with their inner world. Guided by intuition and rooted in sensitivity, her art becomes both a mirror and a sanctuary, a place where silence speaks and beauty heals.

Capturing life in watercolour
Eugenia Gorbacheva | Watercolour Artist | Writer | Spain

Eugenia Gorbacheva is a watercolor artist and instructor whose work is defined by quick, expressive sketches brought to life through the wet-on-wet technique. Her paintings embrace the natural fluidity and spontaneity of watercolor, capturing moments with a sense of freshness and movement. Driven by a passion for teaching, she shares her methods through engaging online lessons, encouraging others to discover the beauty, versatility, and joy of this captivating medium.

A VISIONARY VOICE IN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
Joe Eccles | Artist | Abstract Expressionist | United Kingdom

Joe Eccles (b.1987) is a Bromsgrove-based contemporary abstract artist whose bold, large-scale works in mixed media burst with vivid colour and emotive energy. For over two decades, he has explored free-form expressionism, used unconventional imagery and layered metaphors to reflect the human condition. His unapologetic embrace of colour and form invites viewers into a space of limitless imagination and introspection, drawing inspiration from life’s eclectic experiences and the depths of the subconscious.